The Snake Charmer
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: She wasn't always evil, but no one ever cared to know who she truly was. Now, will a chance meeting, long before the existence of an infamous villain, change everything for her? Only time will tell. AU. NarutoxfemOrochimaru Part of my Fem!Akatsuki project
1. Scuffle

_Why didn't I die? _

_I should have died, I should be dead._

_I miss them, mom, dad, Nii-san..._

_--_

"Well well, what have we here?"

She started in surprise, falling off the log she'd nearly fell asleep on. Her entire being screamed to run, but something told her she couldn't get away. Too late, she realized the fire hadn't been put out, and those sputtering embers had attracted unwanted attention from the night.

There he was, a tall dark, figure, staring at her, just beyond the comforting light of the campfire. But whoever this was, he made no move to attack, instead, he seemed to take in her appearance. Slitted yellow eyes peered out from an unruly, dirty mess of long hair, dark as the night itself. She had pale skin, unnaturally pale, bordering on silvery gray. She wore little more than rags, the tattered remains of a kimono.

They met amused sapphire orbs, hidden behind what looked like a fox mask. He didn't look to be that old, maybe around fifteen perhaps, a year older than she, and clad in all black, plus what looked like light armor about the arms, legs and chest. But it was the way that he held himself that irritated her. He was confident, this one, just like the ones who'd destroyed her town and murdered her parents.

He unnerved her, as no one ever had before.

"I have no quarrel with you." She replied blandly, reaching for the pocketknife she'd picked off her father's corpse, once she'd realized he wasn't going to wake up from the eternal sleep of death. "But I will ask you to leave."

"Ah, but you see, I was sent to find _you_." He replied, and now, much to her horror, that same knife was in his open palm, dangling at his fingertips. Though she had no recollection of giving the trinket to him. "And I can't disobey orders."

She moved again to pass him, and he moved to block her, and it was almost with relief that she struck out at his face. It was just a feint, and when he ducked, she jammed at his stomach with her knee, but he twisted so that the blow didn't fall true, and came back with a fist to her stomach.

"Oof!"

She took the blow, just to see how well she hit, and then immediately wished he hadn't. This wasn't a mindless animal, one who could barely even touch her, even with a hundred of them on him at once. This one, he could knock the wind, the fight, right out of her.

Shinobi. The word popped into her head.

This one was a ninja.

A small smirk twisted his face. She really could fight, and so a fight would be had.

Dropping his cane, he jumped, and in response, she kicked at his chest. He crashed to the ground, and she threw herself on top of him, struck him in the face, once, twice, three times, and kneed him in the side before he was able to throw her off. She was on him again in an instant, but as she tried to pin his arms, he flipped her onto her back, pinning her with the weight of his body.

She curled her legs up and heaved him away, and then they were on their feet again, crouching, circling, striking at each other with hands and feet. She kicked at his stomach, and barreled into his chest, and they were on the ground again. Hand to hand combat wasn't exactly her _forte_, but with little left to do but _survive_, she'd been forced to brush up on other skills, namely physical combat.

And she was getting pretty good at it, hand to hand combat that is.

She didn't know how long they'd been grappling when she realized...he was _laughing. _As she flipped him, she understood his joy, understood it completely. She'd never had such a fight, she'd never had such an opponent. She was faster than he was offensively, much faster, but he was her better in strength and stamina, and she'd never known a fighter with such tenacity as this strange fellow She was calling up moves she hadn't tried since she could barely stand, blows she'd only ever imagined having the opportunity to use on anyone but Nii-san.

Yet this was different than her basic sparring practice with father and mother, back when they'd been trying to improve herskills. They were playing. It was a game for the two of them now, to see who could pin the other, before he/she pinned you. When the blond wriggled out of her hold, pinned her arms behind her back, and grabbed a soft fistful of her hair, shoving her face roughly, but not too roughly now, into the dirt, she was laughing as well.

Seconds later, she reversed the position.

"Genjutsu, eh? You tricked me." He panted, irritated that he'd been baited, more out of frustration than anything, but that he'd fallen for it only amused him further, and when she felt him move, she tightened her grip, just enough to hold him, or so she thought.

"However," He kicked his feet up at her and squirmed his arms out of her grasp. Rounding on her, he elbowed her in the face, and when she jumped to avoid what would've been a crippling blow, he flew at her, flattening the girl to the ground. He pinned her arms just as she had done, and shoved _her _face into the dirt. Finally, he dug one knee into the small of her back.

"Surrender."His ponytail had come loose at some point during their little scuffle, and now it was tickling at her mumbled something into the dirt, and he arched an eyebrow, pulling her head out of the muck so he could hear her properly.

"Excuse me?"

She spat out a clod of dirt and sulked as he released her, yet refused to get off her back. "Just kill me."

"Killing isn't everything." The blond replied. "To kill, you have to have a strong will."

"That doesn't mean it isn't important!" She twisted her neck to scowl at him. "And who are you to lecture me?!"

"Simply put, I have experience on my side."He sighed, ignoring her, tying his hair back once more. "You've only just started training yourself. It makes sense that you'd lose to someone like me. In fact," He rolled his shoulders, popping the joints there. "I'd say its only natural."

"It's still not fair." She sulked, looking away, refusing to admit it. "_Damn_ you shinobi, you're all alike." A single tear spilled over onto her cheek, and she immediately bit her lip to strangle a sob. "Bastard, why can't you just kill me and send me to join my parents?"

"Oh," he blinked, getting off her. "You lost your folks too, huh?" He now reached down to her, extending a hand, and offering her a smile. "Here, I apologize for my actions. What say we start fresh, you and I?"

"Shut _up_!" She shrieked at him, slapping his hand away. "I don't need your pity!"

"It's not pity." He replied, pulling away his mask to reveal his headband, that of the the Leaf. "It's respect. How long have you been out here? A week, a month?"

"Why should I tell you?"

A loud explosion interrupted them, followed by a mighty crash as a tree gave way, slamming into the ground with a cloud of debris. The man made some comment about finally having a chance to kill someone, and reached for his pouch, withdrawing several shuriken.

With a flick of his wrist, the stars flew into the tree, and moments later a body, that of an Iwa shinobi, fell to the ground, gasping for air. The shuriken, all three throwing stars, were embedded firmly in his neck, and his mouth opened in a death rattle as he vomitted blood.

He seemed to notice her then, and raised a trembling hand.

"Help...me...

In response, the blond threw another shuriken, this one sticking square in the man's mouth, ending his life.

"You know...they say it's easy to die."

"What?" She blinked at him, trying to be angry, but she was just so _tired..._so horrified at what she'd just witnessed.

"You heard me." He replied, bending down to retrieve his cane. "In this world, its easy for us to die, to just give up on it all. I've known many who've taken that road. However, my sensei taught me, that though its so much more difficult to go on living, you never regret it in the end."

With that being said, he simply walked past her.

"Ja ne. Have a nice life."

His words spurred something in her.

"Wait!" She ran after him, and he slowed, allowing her to catch up. "Who _are_ you?" She asked at length, stopping a ways before him, then as if realizing the desperation in her words, hastily added: "You...you can't be a shinobi, not with an attitude like that."

He grinned, looking over his shoulder at her, and slowly turned to face her. There was something about those eyes, something that pinned her down, held her fast, preventing any and all sort of escape.

"I'll give you mine if you give me yours."

"Orochimaru." She muttered quietly. "I've been called that as long as I can remember."

"Doesn't really sound like a girl's name-

"Bite me." She hissed through clenched teeth.

"You ever thought of becoming a ninja?" The question was so sudden, so _obvious,_ that she started a bit, more-so at the sudden change of pace, then his words. "W-What?" She asked with a blank look."Me? A ninja?"

"You have talent." He replied calmly. "With a little effort and dedication, you'd make a fine shinobi."

"Give me your name first." She tapped a bare foot impatiently upon the tattered, torn up soil. "I refuse to associate myself with a complete and total stranger." He laughed at that, as if he'd found her words amusing. "Naruto Uzumaki, Leaf Chunin." He said at last, extending his hand, though when she glared at him, refusing to shake, he shrugged nonchalantly and withdrew his palm and kept going, witht he sound of her footsteps falling after him.

"Ah well, nice to meet you too, Orochimaru."

**Yeah, I figured this is the only legit way I could pair these two together. Note, this is currently when the sanin are still young.**


	2. Contract

"Urgh, are we almost there yet?" She grumbled after an hour. Granted, she wasn't one to complain, but they'd been walking for almost a full twenty four hours now, and even _she_, with her inhuman stamina, was running on empty by this point.

Naruto just laughed, his long stride keeping him ahead of her, something that only served to further her ever increasing frustration. "Almost there? We've got at _least_ a full day's walk ahead of us, and that's assuming we don't run into any enemy ninja or bandits."

Orochimaru turned pale, paler than usual. Bandits, like the one's who'd tried to rape her? Shinobi, those who wanted her dead on sight? Oh yes, she'd seen the wanted posters when she went into town to trade. For some reason, there was a hefty bounty on her head, and she couldn't seem to shake her pursuers once they'd fpund her the first time.

"Y-You're kidding right? It won't _really _take a day, will it?"

"Well, we could cut it in half, that is, if we hitched a ride...he mused softly, slowing his pace somewhat, as if he were deep in thought. "But...no, nevermind, it'll never work." She swallowed the bait immediately, grabbing him by the wrist.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean, hitching a ride?"

"Quite a grip you have there." The Chunin replied, practically pulling her along with him by this point, breaking her grip, even as she dug in her heels. "Not much strength behind it, though."

"Answer-She dragged him backward-my question."

"Maybe it'd be better if you just saw it with your own eyes."

She blinked in surprise when he bit both thumbs, drawing a thin line of blood down each. Pulling the bloody digits across each wrist, his hands surged with a dim glow of chakra.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu." He muttered, going to one knee, slapping both palms against the soil, where an elaborate series of markings appeared, dissapearing moments later in the resulting plume of smoke. "C'mon out!" He called, and in reply, a sibilant hiss filled the air.

**"What do you want, gaki?"**

From the darkness, a giant purple snake rose into the moonlight, its shadow eclipsing the duo. To say that the creature was large was an understatement of the highest caliber. It loomed over the tree itself, and even now, with a flick of its tail, a dozen oaks, hundreds of years old, were uprooted, toppling to the earth in a domino effect.

After a moment, it seemed to noticed them, and turned its massive bulk, tongue flitting in and out as it tasted the air. **"Oh? What is this scent?"**Its keen eyes locked on Orochimaru, refusing to let her go, and ever so slowly, its jaws parted, revealing its fangs, dripping with venomous saliva. **"Ah, I see you've brought me a meal."**

"Whoa whoa, hold on there." Naruto, raised a hand in warning, the sleeve falling back to reveal what looked like an intricate line of circular crisscrossing tattoo's, starting at the elbow, then ending at the wrist, in a twisting helix formation. "Can't let ya do that."

Summoning tattoo's.

She'd read about them in one of her mother's books. Supposedly when tattooed with one of those markings, all you had to do was-

"Now now, that's no way to greet a new friend, is it, Manda?" The shinobi cut in, seemingly unaware that this giant beast could devour them both in an instant. "C'mon, I want you to sign a summoning contract with her."

**_"Her?!" _**Manda all but roared, indignantly rearing back to glare at his master in stupified confusion. **" This girl?! Surely you jest!"**

_"Me?"_ Orochimaru had to admit that even _she_ was surprised by this sudden and unexpected turn of events. To make a summoning contract, just like that.... But it didn't necessarily mean she wasn't up for it.

Alas, the snake did not seem to accomadating in that respect.

**"I refuse!" **Manda snapped his jaws in displeasure, creating a loud popping sound that slapped at their ears, accompanied by the dull thud of his tail striking another tree.** "She stinks of fear!"**

"I-I'm not afraid." She was well aware of how meek she sounded, in comparison to the booming tones of the serpentine king. She tried not to think of those piercing eyes, nor of that mouth lined with teeth, ready to gobble her up.

**"Hoho!" **Manda's laughter resembled the shriek of nails across a chalkboard. **"Stand before me _little girl_, and say that again!"**

Willing her suddenly heavy body to move, she approached him, tilting her head up to face the behemoth towering over her quivering frame.

"I'm...not afraid."

**"Hm?" **The snake sneered, cocking his head to one side, tongue tasting at the air once more. **"It seems you are so small I cannot hear you."**

Furious, she punched at his scaly hide with her pocket knife."Then come down here and listen to me, you cretin!"Imagine her surprise, when the blade slid right between the scales, drawing a thin rivulet of black blood as it pierced flesh.

**"!!"**

Behind her, Naruto blinked in surprise.

"That...wasn't wise."

She had just enough time to pull the blade out before she was thumped by the tail, the motion flinging her into a tree, whilst Naruto looked on quietly.

**"Girl....**Manda scowled, picking her out of the debris, then instantly coiling himself about the still stunned Orochimaru, constricting her until the latter couldn't breathe. At last his massive visage was there before her, whilst his body squeezed her tight, pinning her arms and pressing the flat of the knife into her hand. **"Either you are very brave, or very foolish. Tell me your name."**

"Oro-chi-maru...She found it difficult to even breathe, let alone speak.

**"Hmph." **Rumbled the serpent, tightening his hold on her ever so slightly.** "Orochi as in snake, eh? Hardly a fitting name for a female."**

She couldn't answer him, but instead put all of her being into a cold glare, filled with a fearsome killer intent that rivaled his own.

If looks could kill...

_'Those eyes...so, she_ is _of the lineage as well. Just as her brother..._

**"Yasu." **Manda spoke suddenly, releasing her, his breath hot in her face as she fell to the ground. **"That is the name I give to you, the one you are to sign upon the scroll. It means, assertive child. You are no longer to go by the name Orochimaru."**

Without another word, he reared back, coughed, and made a terrible retching sound. **"Blech!" **With a heavy thud, a large, and very _slimy_ scroll landed at her feet.

**"Now, cut your thumb, and impart your name in blood upon the contract."**

"Not bad, Orochi." Naruto commented, shrugging his shoulders when she turned her heated glare back on him, slapping at his hand that had suddenly placed itself on her shoulder. "It seems Manda's taken a liking to you."

Unfurling the scroll, Orochimaru, that is, Yasu, found only three other human names written there. One belonged to Naruto of course, the second was written in some language she couldn't decipher, and the last, Minato.

For the second time that day, she froze.

Minato Namikaze...

That name rung a bell in her head, and had she not been so exhausted, then she might've noticed the fact that both he and Naruto had the same handwriting.

Taking her father's pocket knife, she made a small incision on her thumb, and tried her best to ignore the searing pain that came with it as she pressed the digit to the parchment.

After a few moments, there it was, her name.

**"Don't get cocky." **Manda warned, in response to the sly grin that threatened to creep up upon her face. He didn't seem quite that scary now, as he swept the scroll back into his maw. **"You may have signed a contract with me and my bretheren, but it will be quite some time before you have enough chakra to summon the likes of _me-_**

"Hold it." Naruto stepped forward again, tapping Manda on the snout with one finger. "You're giving us a ride back before you leave."

--

The ride back to Konoha was rather peaceful, despite Manda's initial protests over being used as what he called a 'pack mule'.

Left with little to do, naturally they struck up a conversation.

"Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage, but under the wing of a strong leader, cowardice cannot survive. You ever heard of that?" She ventured.

"Sorta." He shrugged, pulling out one of the three scrolls tied to his back. "The fellow countrymen of the leaf make up each part of my spirit... those of the village believe in me, and I believe in them. That's what it means to be Hokage!" He laughed as she stared at him. "What? I told you they were similair."

"Hmph." She snorted, blowing a strand of messy hair from her face. "You seem to think rather highly of your Hokage, then."

"Of course." He replied, suddenly solemn. "After all, I intend to _be _hokage someday."

"Yeah, good luck with this war." Orochimaru snorted, rolling her eyes in contempt. "I'll never understand why you shinobi relish the suffering of others."

"Whenever you live, there will always be war." He replied with a sigh, his shoulders slumping as he closed the scroll, binding it to his back once more. "If the time come's that I can end this war, I'd-

"You're a man with a true skill." She countered suddenly, quietly. "It should be...interesting if you ever do make it to Hokage. Assuming you live long enough."

"Oh?" He blinked, and was that genuine surprise she saw in his eyes? "What makes you say that?"

"You're an optimist." Yasu sighed sadly. "There aren't many of those left."

_'They tend to die.' _She added silently.

"And?"

"And?" She gave him a 'watch it' look. "What, honestly, did you expect me to add ' You're an example we should all follow? I can't think of a finer shinobi than you?'" She now leaned forward, baring her teeth, much like a snake would.

"Don't hold your breath, blondie."

**"If you're done squabbling...**

"Oh!" Naruto jumped up atop Manda's head, and pointed to the horizon, where in the distance, what looked like a series of three stone faces could be seen, barely visible but still present nonetheless. "There it is!"

"There what is?" Orochimaru grumbled, resigning herself to stand.

He gave a pure, genuine laugh.

"Konoha."

--

Manda vanished in a plume of smoke as they reached the gates, rudely leaving the two to land on the ground, one gracefully, the other, not so much.

Yasu scratched the back of her head as Naruto picked himself up from his faceplant.

_'And he's supposed to be a chunin?'_

"Naruto!" A voice, that of a male, alerted Orochimaru, who hastily jumped back as an Anbu appeared where she'd been a moment ago.

The fellow took off his mask, revealing a face exactly like Naruto's, but with a few scars, lighter blue eyes, and a more lean appearance to his visage.

"Hey." The Chunin's face, previously a stunned mask of surprise, pulled, his face into a huge grin, and the man nodded in response. "Long time no see, eh?"

"Yeah, its good to see you again to-

"And who might this be?" The other blond cut in, suddenly serious again, his gaze falling on Orochimaru, who returned his stare with bold defiance.

"Oh!" Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "This is-

"No wait, lemme guess." Now it was the Anbu's turn to smile, and pat the Chunin on the head, ruffling his hair affectionately. "She's your girlfriend, right?"

Orochimaru squeaked, all the air leaving her at once before Naruto could even hope to answer.

"EH?!"


	3. Kindred Spirits

**Alright people, Orochimaru will be referred to as Yasu from here on out by all of _Konoha_, and _Orochimaru_ by those who don't know of her new name. This chapter will also explain why Minato is still around.**

"Well, not really." Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I found her on my way back from the mission." His tone hardened now, losing its usual jovialty. "She's the one Iwa's been trying to recruit."

_'Recruit?' _Yasu blinked in surprise. Well, if they were trying to _recruit_ her, then they sure had a funny way of doing it. If beating and verbal abuse were part of the package, then no wonder Iwa and Kumo were on the losing side of this war.

"Really?" The stranger's grin folded itself into a grim line for a moment, before spreading out into a charming smile once more. "Well then, good to have you on our side then, Yasu-chan." He now returned his gaze to Naruto. "Alright kiddo, let me have a word with Sarutobi, I think I can have her instated as a genin within a few hours. Sound good?"

"I sent word ahead for everyone to call you by that." Naruto replied when she stiffened at the use of her new title, even going so far as to swipe at him. "Teme." She hissed under her breath, glaring furiously at the blond with those smoldering yellow eyes. "I _liked_ my old name."

"It wasn't a girl's name." He countered with an appraising glance that wasn't appraising at all. "You want everyone to think you're a boy or something?"

Flushing, she staggered suddenly, nearly losing her footing, despite the even ground. But this wasn't from embarassment, she could be sure of that. No, she suddenly felt weak, like she could barely even stand, let alone _walk_.

"Hey, are you alright?" He reached out to steady her as she fell backwards.

She was too tired to shake off his hand, and the growl of her stomach drew a small whimper from her lips, one she knew all too well. Hunger pangs. She hadn't eaten in three days, and as such, her body was in sore need of nourishment.

"Well, lets go get you cleaned up, then we can get something to eat."

But she had enough sense to headbutt him when he scooped her up. Ignoring the blood dripping down his forehead and into one eye, Naruto walked through the gates, still carrying her despite her protests.

--

(Ichiraku Ramen)

"Two miso ramen please!" Called Naruto upon entering Ichiraku Ramen, pulling aside the curtain to enter, and earning some odd looks from the other patrons, due to the fact that he was still carrying Yasu.

"Let go." She hissed, smacking at his left arm, and was rewarded, now wriggling out of his grip. Few could resist the urge to stare at her. The grease was now gone from her hair, and she'd washed herself clean of all the grime she'd accumulated, leaving herself clean for the first time in a long time.

Now, she was clad in the first decent article of clothing she could find, a simple pair of black cargo pants, a violet colored tee, and opened toed sandals.

Naruto, as usual, preceded to his customary seat, and after a moment, Yasu reluctantly took a seat beside him. "Here's your order!" Called old man Teuchi as he set the bowl of ramen down before the blond and his guest. "Eat up!"

And with that they began to eat.

Naruto ate his ramen at the same rapid pace as before, slurping down the steamy noodles at a rapid pace, done in nearly _half_ the time as before. Yasu, however, _savored_ her ramen. She hadn't spent cash on this food, but she wanted to get her money's worth regardless, by savoring the pasta.

But the moment she placed the noodles in her mouth, she was aware of something.

_'Hot!'_

She managed to swallow, but now steam was coming out of her ears. Tears welled in her eyes. It was so _hot_, so _spicy!_ She hadn't even given it a second to cool, and unlike Naruto, who ate it everyday, she did not have any sort of resistance to the heat of the pasta.

In other words...

Wincing, she dropped the chopsticks, and covered her mouth.

"HOT!" She yelped, in a rare lapse of character, causing Naruto to look at her with concern. He soon realized the cause for her distress, as she flailed her arms about her mouth, trying to dissipate the steam that was coming out.

"Oh. I forgot." He remarked with a chuckle, handing her a glass of water that hadn't been there a second ago. "When your order it with pork it's extra hot. You have to _blow_ on it first."

He leaned across her, and demonstrated, lightly pushing air out onto it, rippling the soup like noodles as he did so. "See? Like this." When he glanced at her to make certain she understood, he found her glaring at him over the drink.

"I am _not_ a child." She gasped as she finished the glass, finally able to feel her tongue again.

"I'll have to remember that." He countered, going back to his ramen. "After all, that was pretty childish in my book."

"...Shut up." She murmurred, as her gaze flickered up to him.

"Aw! What a cute couple! Naruto-kun, I didn't know you'd started dating again! Oh, and who's this lovely young lady, if you don't mind me asking?"Ayame's, the owner's daughter, jarred them out of their stupor, as did the fact that she was now speaking to them both.

Yasu was all but seething now.

"We are _not_ a couple!"

--

(Training grounds)

She watched as he barreled through the exercise, his hands a practiced blur of motion, catching the shuriken and then returning them to the launchers from which they'd been fired.

He didn't miss, not even once.

She'd followed him here, after he left _her _at the Hokage's office. She'd wanted to have a word with him about this Minaoto fellow, who HAD to be his father, and had been deadset on intending to speak with Naruto about it, but...

_Now_ she was too busy watching and learning.

Quietly of course.

After a few moments, he threw a series of basic taijutsu sparring, and though it was only a dozen or so strikes, in the end, he left his training post a broken piece of timber.

He must've already practiced Genjutsu and Ninjutsu, because she didn't see him perform any handsigns in the hours that passed. Finally, just when she was about to give up spying on him and return, she heard him speak.

"Alright, now that I'm all warmed up, lets give it a try." Looking back at him from behind the tree, she watched as he raised his right arm, gathering swirls of chakra into the palm of his hand. But this, this was no simple method for climbing trees as she'd expected it to be. No, the chakra took _shape_ in his hand, forming a translucent sphere that seemed to spin and dance in the palm of his hand.

_'What on earth is that....A jutsu?'_

"Rasengan!" He declared, ramming the sphere into the base of the tree trunk. The oak shattered, falling to the forest floor with a loud crash, where a huge ragged hole could be seen, still smoking from the white hot intensity of its chakra.

"How long have you been watching me?" He didn't even look, but instead threw an explosive tag at her. Gasping in surprise, Yasu leapt into view, but when no explosion was forthcoming, she found her face burning under his gentle laughter.

"It's a dud, don't worry."

"Whoever said I was worried?" she pushed down the fire that rose up from her stomach. She wondered what he would do, how he would react if she threw a hail of shuriken at him, how many times he'd dodge in one instant.

"You're afraid of me, aren't you?"

The fire burst into her throat and choked her.

"You, you think you're really something, don't you?! Always so arrogant, so _mysterious_, everyone just falls all over you!" In her frustration, she reached for the first thing she could find, a nearby kunai and pair of shuriken discarded on the ground. "And you think that's all well and good, don't you?!"

"I don't think, I know." He replied, tapping the side of his mask with one finger, teasing her with his smile, his eyes his ability, he always goaded her like this, but tonight, she was out of patience, out of tolerance. "I _won_ in our last fight, remember? I always win."

"_Shut up_ damnit!"

He caught the kunai on one finger, the shuriken on another the twin throwing stars still whirling with movement. A grin peered back at her from the evening light. "Care to try again?" She'd thrown them without thinking, and with shriek, she threw dozens more, but he held up a single hand and made a set of seals.

"Water style."

The metal bounced harmessly off liquid.

"Water wall."

Too late, she realized her mistake, as the nearby pond began to roil and froth, taking the shape of a massive creature.

"Water dragon jutsu."

(Konoha Academy)

"Why did you bring me here?" She eyed the empty seats, then wrung the water from her hair, doing her best to ignore the puddle forming at her feet. Indeed, she was still saoking wet from their battle, one she had lost, and quite pathetically at that.

He took one look at her and chuckled.

"Blunt as usual."

"Why you-

"Here."

He then tossed her a small bundle of cloth. She snatched it out of the air unwrapping it in one smooth motion. Its black cloth was tattered and frayed, the metal itself bearing a good number of dents and scratches, but the symbol of Konoha still shone proudly. "Nani?" She blinked at the battered leaf forehead protector staring up at her, reflecting her surprise in its metal facets. "What is this?"

He placed a finger to her forehead before she could ask just what this meant.

"Turn around."

Nervously, she did so.

"Close your eyes." He ordered, and strangely enough, she decided to go along with it, just this once. Once she'd opened her eyes, she found herself staring in the mirror, at herself.

"Look."

She blinked once more, then slowly, reached up to the plate, just to be certain it really was there. When the rough course sensation of the still warm metal greeted her fingertips, the realization dawned upon her.

That fight...

It'd been a _test_.

"Baka Yarou." Naruto chided, thumbing at his own forehead, which was now conspicuously absent of his own headband, and touching the symbol she now wore. "You passed. Consider yourself an official shinobi."

Patting her on the shoulder, he beckoned for her to follow.

"C'mon, its almost morning."

"Wait, when am I supposed to sleep?" She protested, dragging her feet. "I'm exhausted from all this."

"You're not sleeping yet." The Chunin countered as they walked outside, were the light of the morning sun was already greeting them. "We're still trying to find you an apartment, or better yet, a house."

"And were are _you_ going?" She scowled as he led her to a squad of Anbu, and summarily announced that he had an errand to run. Surprisingly, he actually deigned to answer her. "To get a promotion."

--

(Two hours later)

A sleepy Yasu approached her seat with a sense of dread. She'd never worked well with others, she'd been told that since she was five, and accidentally hurt father during a sparring drill. Said exercise had been emphasized on the basis of teamwork, and thusly, ended in failure.

To make matters worse, she didn't have any social experience to lean back on, considering the fact that she'd lived the past five years on her own, in the wild, struggling just to make it to the next sunrise.

There were two of them each on one side of her seat, a boy and a girl.

The boy, a spry youth with white spiky hair, grinned when he saw her approaching.

"Hey, you the new kid?"

"Y-Yes." She muttered, remembering to control her temper at his informality.

"Oh leave her alone you." The other, a blond girl with hazel eyes, didn't seem quite so intimidating, but more outgoing, as she was the one to extend a hand first. "Name's Tsunade. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah yeah, enough with the formalities!" The as of yet unamed youth declared suddenly, startling both girls, and handing Yasu what looked like a pamphlet. "Here, new girl, have a look at this, will ya?"

"Um...what is it?" She could read, but the title _Icha Icha_ already had her worried.

"Just a book I'm working on." He assured her eagerly. "C'mon! Just read it and tell me what you think!"

Resigning herself to read. Yasu started at the first paragraph...

_"Ah, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" He didn't look up from the book, but a warm smile traced his face when the flipped the page._

_"Liar." She hissed, scowling at him, choking down the warm fuzziness that rose within her, replacing it with cold, heartless wrath. "You didn't tell me you were the son of Minato, the next hokage." He didn't answer for a moment, but instead marked the page, closed the book, and looked up at her from his work-desk._

_"Musta slippped my mind."_

_"Like hell it did!" She spit back._

_"Orochi," He sighed, running one hand through his spiky hair, the nickname, his pet name for her, sliding so easily off his lips, "What should I have done?" He stood up now, the chair sliding out beneath him. "Just blab out, 'Hey, by the way, I'm the son of the fourth hokage'? Do you have any idea just how many shinobi want me dead?"_

_"Don't. Move."She took a step back, refusing to allow her mind to be befuddled by his presence. She needed to think clearly, and his embrace was absolutely the worst thing for her right now, no matter how much she wanted to be wrapped up in his arms. She needed to get away from him, this person who was created to rattle her. "You...you stay away from me! I hate you!"_

_"Aw, don't say that." His smile didn't fade, but it was a thin line now, and his eyes were pleading. "I haven't done anything to upset you."_

_"Then explain my sudden promotion to Genin!" The words escaped her before she could stop them, and too late, pale hands flew to cover her mouth._

_"So that's what this is about." His smile collapsed into a frown now, then deepened into a fierce scowl. "You think you didn't pass the exam on your own talent."_

_"You were one of the shinobi assigned to review me." She snapped back at him, refusing to abandon her position now, even if it was a futile effort. "And as the son of a Kage, you must've wielded enormous political clout. It would've been so easy for you to-_

_"Orochi," He sighed in exasperation. "I wasn't the one who made sure you passed. In fact, I was deadset against it."_

_...What?" The words caught in her throat."What? What did...you say?"_

_"Simply put, I didn't, and still don't think you're ready to be on a team." He moved to sit on the corner of his desk, folding both arms across his chest. "You've assimilated any jutsu given to you, you've excelled at every mission, obeyed every order, but..._

_"But what?" She whispered, a sense of dread coiling in the pit of her stomach, strangling her. "Just...just spit already you imbecile!" This was unexpected, but still, to not be trusted, it stung a little._

_"Ambition." The word rang like a bell, cold and clear, much like his matchless eyes. "You have high hopes, and even greater goals, but forbidden jutsu?"_

_The breath hitched in her throat. " You think I didn't know?" He replied, shaking his head with a sigh. "Well guess what? I do. You're dabbling in pretty dark stuff here. I've seen it in your eyes, whenever you get an idea, you just can't control yourself. Which brings to my next point."_

_Her lower lip began to tremble._

_"Shinobi do not kill needlessly, even when the mission dictates it." From within the drawer, he produced a scroll, one she recognized all too well. Her track record, a documentation of her stats, jutsu, and mission reports._

_"You, however, have caused casualties, needless deaths' of innocent women and children, on almost all of your assignments. In all honesty, I couldn't allow you access to A rank missions. But I was outvoted, and...well," He shrugged helplessly, taking her into his arms, drawing her into a heated kiss that took her breath away. "You know the rest."_

"The _fuck_ is this?!" Yasu spat after reading the rest, summarily tossing the _Icha Icha_ prototype manuscript back at her teammate, who had been snickering to himself quietly. Now, the latter hastily caught the pages, and at the same time, a hard right hook from the raven haired girl, who instead kicked him down low, hitting his knee instead of her intended targer."You told me you were writing a _book_, not some friggin porno and why the hell is this about _me?!"_

"Scary, scary." Jiraiya winced as he rubbed his sore calf, extremely grateful for Tsunade restraining the kunoichi at the very last second. "I thought your were gonna bite my head off for a second there."

"Sure, no...problem."

Jiraiya paled as she got a good look at a piece of the manuscript, which had regrettably fallen to the ground...

Immediately, she released Yasu.

"Ecchi!" The blond snarled, cracking her knuckles menacingly. "I have half a mind to tear your's off myself!"

"Eh...hehehe...c-c'mon now, there's no need for th-that T-Tsunade...

"Okay you three, what on earth is going on here?" Naruto's voice greeted them seconds before he stepped through the door, and for a moment, the two kunoichi forgot just what they was so angry about.

Gone was his stealth attire, replaced by a flak vest, and ptich black camo pants, complete with open toed sandals, black, fingerless gloves, and all the other basic attire of a jonin. Now, replacing his old black headband, the cloth was a deep, crimson red, and worn tightly around his forehead, but with a shorter knot.

He looked quite handsome.

And now, he had the two by the scruff of the neck, easily hoisting them both into the air.

"Did you see what he wrote?!" The poor thing was livid, and gave him a pleading look, a clear sign that she was just _itching _to seperate Jiraiya's head from his now quivering shoulders. "_Please_, let me kill him!" Naruto arched an eyebrow, and releasing the kunoichi motioned for the genin to hand it over.

"Now what could possibly be so-oh."

His eyes narrowed as they poured over the text. "Ah. _Now_ I understand." Jiraiya yelped in surprise when the blond was now the one to deliver a brutal kick, one that dropped the boy like a sack of potatoes.

"You should be lucky I don't burn you at the stake for writing this." The Jonin replied when his student protested the rough treatment of his twin seed generators and one eyed weasel. "This material is utterly shameless,"-ignoring the cries of his student, he mercilessly ripped the text to pieces and incinerated it with a fire jutsu- and as your sensei, I won't have it."

_"Sensei?"_

"Yeah, I'm here for," He pulled a clipboard off the desk and thumbed through it. "Lemme see here, Team 2." Tossing it aside, he grinned at the groans given by the rest of the class. "Well then, I guess that'd be Yasu, Jiraiya and Tsunade?"

--

Yasu eyed him keenly as he led them to the roof.

"You're strange."

He turned one eye on her.

"How so?"

"You're the son of Minato Namikaze, that's how." She replied, increasing her stride to match his own so they could talk freely. "You're a Jonin at age fifteen, everything is given to you on a silver platter, and yet...

She frowned, searched her mind for words, then found one that suited him to a T.

"You're an anomaly. You tell me you're a Jonin in name only, but you still have to take an exam to become a full fledged shinobi? And now you think I'll actually accept you as a teacher, when we're both of the same intellectual level _and_ when I despise you?"

Jiraiya and Tsunade frowned, unable to understand any of what these two were talking about.

"Quite a vocabularly you have there." Naruto finally replied, reaching out to catch a nearby dragonfly in the palm of his hand. "But to answer your question, yeah, I _am_ a bit of a weirdo." The insect flew right into his grasp, as if it'd been called to him, then flitted out to Yasu's shoulder. Surprised, she could only blink at his next words.

"But I like being weird. Even if it doesn't make sense."

--

**Next time: A legacy left behind.**

**(Preview of next chapter)**

"Urusai...he hissed, clutching at his face as the changes began. "My mother died to seal you, and I won't...let...you...

**You don't have a choice...**

Naruto slowly gnashed his teeth together, in mild pain, as his canines elongated, slowly changing into wicked fangs. His hands, he could feel his fingernails sharpening, until they could no longer be called such, now more deadly claws, than mere skin upon his hands.

Clenching them into fists, he pierced the skin of palms.

The puncture points closed instantaneously.

The whisker marks upon his face deepened, changing from mere slits, to large deep furrows upon his face, his eyes narrowing dangerously his heart rate quickening with a sickening rush of adrenaline.

His short blond hair...roughened, for that is the best way to describe it, as it warped from spiky tame hair, to wild and unruly, sticking out in every direction, swaying in the chakra induced breeze.

The blood-lust stirred deep within him, so great, that he was barely able to stave it off, shove it back under.

Two ears, red of fox chakra, finished the cloak, fully enveloped now, as the changes neared the final stages.

His voice was not his own, no longer calm and cool, but filled with wrathful, barely contained fury, as the Kyuubi, looking through the eyes of his host, surveyed the changes which he had wrought.

**Much better-Urk!**

_Get out!_

Choking the massive chakra source was no small task, but he somehow did it, and when he could at last see straight, all traces of the jinchuuriki cloak were long gone.

"Damnit. Still can't control it....

Yet.


End file.
